Monster Mash

"He did the mash.
He did the monster mash.
The monster mash.
It was a graveyard smash.
He did the mash.
It caught on in a flash.
He did the mash.
He did the monster mash."
- Bobby Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers






We were able to celebrate Halloween tonight with Big's preschool. Even though the boys did not participate in the traditional 'trick-or-treating' they still had the time of their life. Music filled each room and every ghost, goblin, witch, princess, Darth Vader, and Snow White danced with delight. A buffet was provided along with a selection of desserts and beverages. At the end of the night they announced the best costume. "And the winner is...THE CHICKEN!" It was a huge turnout for a Halloween party in a country that does not partake in the event. Saturday is Finland's observance for All Saints Day.

Thanks to our awesome friends from The Mound, Big and Little were able to decorate pumpkins, bake Jack-O-Lantern shaped cupcakes, and consume some American Halloween goodies.


We hope everyone had a safe and adventurous Halloween back at home! We experienced our first snowfall of the season today. Only a few flurries but enough to get us excited for winter. We will see everyone NEXT month!

Daylight

"Daylight, I wanna see daylight.
Wanna see daylight that shines all around.
Daylight, I wanna see clear blue light.
Wanna see daylight that shines all around."
- Asia

Daylight savings time came to an end during the early hours of this morning. As darkness is creeping upon us 5 minutes faster each day, we need all the 'daylight savings' we can get here in Finland. Prior to the time change, cars were still driving with their lights on at 0850 as I walked Big to preschool in the mornings. Now sunrise will occur around 0730 and sunset around 1630...this week that is. We currently have 10 1/2 hours of visible daylight. Next week we will only have a little more than 9 hours, continuing with a steep downward trend until December 21-22 when the Winter Solstice occurs. All of the streets, parks, running trails, etc are lined with ample lighting so you can keep your daily routine in spite of the darkness and families are equipped with their "happy lights."

Its a Small World

"It's a world of laughter
A world of tears.
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears.
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all."
- Sherman Brothers


Tonight we went to Big's preschool for an International Food Night. Every family was invited and encouraged to bring a dish that represented their home county. The spread included cheese from Switzerland, French quiche Lorraine, curry chicken from India, pineapple from Fiji, Italian pasta dishes, and Finnish pastries just to name a few. There was even some Chilean and South American wine to drink along with cold beer from Finland...Yes, we were drinking in the preschool. How would that go over in the States?


I contemplated all week on what to bring. Between the ingredients available here and a true "American" dish, my choices were limited. I finally decided on some old fashion sugar cookies decorated for Halloween. (Thanks for the cookie cutters and sprinkles Amy!)

Breakfast Time

"Sometimes I have a bowl of some crunchy cereal.
I'd even have some orange juice too.
On other days my favorite is boiled eggs and toast.
And sometimes a stack of pancakes is the breakfast I love most!"
- Sesame Street


I had my first kitchen catastrophe this week. I began this Finnish saga with a brand new can of Clabber Girl baking powder. I officially ran out last week and had to restock with a Finnish brand. No worries until I decided to make pancakes for breakfast Thursday morning. They did not rise and the finished product resembled crepes. This caused the Halloween cookie breakdown...I have to bake Dozens of Halloween cookies next week for 2 different parties. How am I supposed to do this with a baking powder that does not work?


I went on a shopping frenzy to different markets throughout town buying multiple brands of baking powder, determined to find at least one that works. Needless to say, 4 batches of pancakes later I discovered Rumford baking powder (made by Clabber Girl) at Stockmann Department Store. That night we had awesome "fluffy" pancakes for dinner!


During this 'experience' I learned many things about baking powder, probably more than I ever wanted to know. The one thing I will always remember, look to see if it has the ingredient 'aluminum.' Something we should all try to avoid. Clabber Girl does contain it, Rumford does not.

I am now ready to start baking those Halloween cookies I promised everyone next week!

Winter Clothes

"Let me get my overcoat.
I'll need my scarf and gloves...
Let me put my rain shoes on.
I'll need some of those...
Need my winter clothes."
- John Mcdermott


With temperatures falling into the negatives this week, we have exchanged our spring/fall bunny suits for winter wear. The suits are marketed to keep the little ones warm to -20 degrees Celsius. The waist all the way to the feet are covered with a 'flexible PVC' material to withstand all winter activities. Reflectors line the suits' hems for visibility during those dark afternoons at the park.

A guideline was presented to us with our "Welcome to Finland" packet instructing how to dress our children according to the weather.

Enter The Circus

"Ladies and gentlemen, Boys and girls;
Step right up, step right up;
Come closer, you won't believe your eyes.
Behind this curtain,
Witness something you've never seen before,
Heard before, dreamt before;
The most amazing show on earth."
- Christina Aguilera


Today's family outing was to the Sirkus Finlandia, the boy's first circus ever. The curtains opened at 1300 and the performance lasted 2 1/2 hours, with a 30 minute intermission. Considering no napping today, Big and Little enjoyed every act.


Sirkus Finlandia is only a one ring circus with your basic performers of clowns, fire jugglers, high wire walking, and trapeze artists. Seals, cats, dogs, and horses were the animals in the spot light. It was simple but perfect keeping a 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old entertained, but not overstimulated. Even though the commentator spoke Finnish, the acts were easy to follow. A seven piece band staged above the curtain provided the music to each act. Every seat was occupied and children stared with smiles.


My high point of the afternoon was the concession prices. At any event back at home you pay at least triple if not more for drinks, popcorn, etc. At the circus we had 4 juices, 2 cokes, 2 large popcorns and cotton candy all for 18 Euros! Definitely a perfect outing for a cold and cloudy day.

Autumn Leaves Are A-Falling

"Autumn leaves are a-falling;
Red and yellow and brown;
Autumn leaves are a-falling,
See them fluttering down...
Autumn leaves when they're tired,
Settle down in a heap,
At the foot of the old tree,
Soon they'll all fall asleep."






The once soft, green grass that we used to run barefoot in is now covered with a blanket of autumn leaves. The trees are beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and red...colors we rarely saw in Texas. But unfortunately just as fast as they seem to fall from the trees, the city has them raked and hauled off. We still have found plenty of places to picnic on the autumn colors and collect handfuls of leaves for projects at home.


I may regret saying this in a few more months but I have really enjoyed experiencing 'seasons.' Since I have lived in Texas my entire life (minus 3 months in Florida), I have only seen the 4 seasons during vacations. I may not approve of the length of each season here but they are all very different, and so far beautiful. I have to say that autumn has been my favorite, excluding the rain.

Rainy Day Blues

"Well it's cloudy in the morning gonna be raining in the afternoon.
If you don't like this rainy weather you better pack your bags and move...
Rain keeps a falling, falling round my window pane..."
- Willie Nelson




Day #11 and counting...rain, drizzle, rain, storms, drizzle, etc. Each morning the skies are overcast and gloomy, enough to keep us inside witnessing not a single raindrop. Or there seems to be plenty of breaks in the clouds. We pack a picnic, get comfortable on the blanket, pull out the food and get soaked by the mysterious dark cloud that came from nowhere. This has been our story day after day.


We continue to venture outside as much as possible but with a family of 4 that has been battling cold symptoms for weeks now, we decided to stay inside. While the boys were napping, we sacrificed one of our few remaining brownie mixes and pulled out party decorations. When they awoke, we had a surprise birthday for their 'friends' (Dog & Bear). Big and Little could not keep the smiles off their face. Each received a small gift (Matchbox Finnish police cars) and ate brownies and ice cream. A way we passed yet another rainy day.

Big Eyed Fish

"Look at this big - eyed fish
swimming in the sea oh.
How it dreams to be a bird
swoop and diving through the breeze."
- Dave Matthews Band



"For the last 200 years fishing vessels from all along Finland's southern coast have crowded the market docks the first week of October to sell pickled sea delicacies straight from their prows. Coming during the drab days between the end of summer and the first snowfall, when Finland dips slowly into arctic darkness and the drizzle can seem endless, Helsinki's annual Baltic Herring Market is one of those indigenous events that perfectly satisfies a foreigner's yearnings for the atmospheric. The sea is dark and deep, the fishermen's faces cragged but honest, and some even wear heavy navy turtlenecks and stocking caps. The wooden boats are homemade. Even the weather is usually obliging: either a gauzy wind-swept veil of rain or the clear sideway light peculiar to the Baltic coast in autumn...


The most straightforward recipe is suolassilakka, or salted herring, where a slippery handful of the fish is packed whole and upright in brine. From there, most families venture on to more complicated concoctions, in which the silakka is beheaded, boned (though you can eat it with the bones), sliced and set floating in a special sauce. Among the varieties commonly found at the market are sinappisilakka (herring in a creamy mustard sauce), tillisilakka (herring in a dill sauce), tomattisilakka (herring in a tomato sauce), kermavlisilakka (herring in a rich yogurt-like sauce), valkosipulisilakka (herring in a garlic sauce) and punavnisilakka (herring in red wine)...


Along with the herring nearly every boat offers deep brown round loaves of musta leipa (black bread). Originally made with oats and cow blood, musta leipa is now made from graham flour, curds, malt and sugar, but it still has a suspiciously sweet and earthy taste."
- American Scandinavian Foundation Autumn 1996


What a perfect time for the boys and I to try something new while everyone back at home is listening to Big Tex while they munch on their annual Fletcher's corn dog, turkey leg, and all the new concoctions before heading to the Auto Show to view all the upcoming cars. Not to disappoint you or any Finns but we opted to skip on the herring (not a fan of eating fish with the skin still on) and only sampled the musta leipa (a little sweet for me). The scenery was amazing with all the boats crammed into the harbor and locals ambling around deciding what to take home for the evening.

Rainy Days And Mondays

"Hangin' around.
Nothing to do but frown.
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down."
- The Carpenters




We have not seen blue skies since early last week and need to get out and play somewhere. We took a bus 30 minutes north of the city to a suburb called Vantaa. Here is where Hop Lop resides. It is an indoor playground I have heard about from many mothers. We have been saving this field trip for a rainy day and decided this was it.

What a great place! Admission is based on the child's height (8 Euros 95 cm and taller; 5 Euros for under 95 cm; adults and lap bound kids free) and you are allowed to play for 2 hours. We shared the facility with only 6 other children, giving us plenty of room to run and play. There were mazes, tunnels, slides, ball pits, cars, blocks, climbing walls, and anything else you could imagine. The boys had a blast and did not want to leave at the end of our 2 hour window.